辉县市城区环境空气质量现状及污染防治对策

对辉县市城区2006—2011年间环境空气质量监测数据进行了评价,并对城区污染物浓度时空变化进行了分析。结果表明,辉县市城区大气污染主要表现为可吸入颗粒物污染严重,主要是能源结构不合理、锅炉废气污染严重、城区道路保洁方式落后等原因造成的,由此提出了合理规划城市布局、减少结构性污染等对策。     

Cornmeal-induced resistance to ciprofloxacin and erythromycin in enterococci

Triclosan is used as an antibacterial agent in household items and personal care products. Since this compound is found in maternal milk of humans and bodies of wild animals, there is growing concern among some consumer groups and scientific community that triclosan is adverse for humans and wild animals. In order to estimate adverse actions of triclosan, the effects of triclosan on intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration and cellular thiol content were studied in rat thymocytes by the use of flow cytometer with appropriate fluorescent probes. Triclosan at 1-3 μM (sublethal concentrations) increased the intensity of FluoZin-3 fluorescence (intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration) and decreased the intensity of 5-chloromethylfluorescein (5-CMF) fluorescence (cellular thiol content). Negative correlation (r = −0.985) between triclosan-induced changes in FluoZin-3 and 5-CMF fluorescences was found. Removal of external Zn²⁺ did not significantly affect the triclosan-induced augmentation of FluoZin-3 fluorescence, suggesting an intracellular Zn²⁺ release by triclosan. These actions of triclosan were similar to those of H₂O₂ and triclosan significantly potentiated the cytotoxicity of H₂O₂. Therefore, the results may suggest that triclosan at sublethal concentrations induces oxidative stress that decreases cellular thiol content, resulting in an increase in intracellular Zn²⁺ concentration by Zn²⁺ release from intracellular store(s). Since recent studies show many physiological roles of intracellular Zn²⁺ in cellular functions, the triclosan-induced disturbance of cellular Zn²⁺ homeostasis may induce adverse actions on the cells.     

Effect of humic acids on physicochemical property and Cd(II) sorption of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Zinc pyrithione is used as an antifouling agent. However, the environmental impacts of zinc pyrithione have recently been of concern. Zinc induces diverse actions during oxidative stress; therefore, we examined the effect of zinc pyrithione on rat thymocytes suffering from oxidative stress using appropriate fluorescent probes. The cytotoxicity of zinc pyrithione was not observed when the cells were incubated with 3 μM zinc pyrithione for 3 h. However, zinc pyrithione at nanomolar concentrations (10 nM or more) significantly increased the lethality of cells suffering from oxidative stress induced by 3 mM H₂O₂. The application of zinc pyrithione alone at nanomolar concentrations increased intracellular Zn²⁺ level and the cellular content of superoxide anions, and decreased the cellular content of nonprotein thiols. The simultaneous application of nanomolar zinc pyrithione and micromolar H₂O₂ synergistically increased the intracellular Zn²⁺ level. Therefore, zinc pyrithione at nanomolar concentrations may exert severe cytotoxic action on cells simultaneously exposed to chemicals that induce oxidative stress. If so, zinc pyrithione leaked from antifouling materials into surrounding environments would be a risk factor for aquatic ecosystems. Alternatively, zinc pyrithione under conditions of oxidative stress may become more potent antifouling ingredient.     

Effect of inoculation methods on the composting efficiency of municipal solid wastes

Four types of inoculation methods were studied during the composting of municipal solid wastes and dry grass (MSWG). The methods included a control group as well as initial-stage, two-stage, and multi-stage inoculations. Fulvic acids were extracted from the composting materials and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that inoculation of microbes in MSWG enhanced the biodegradation of aliphatics, proteins, and polysaccharides. The inoculation also increased the molecular weight, humic- and fulvic-like compound content, as well as humification degree of the composting products. The inoculation of microbes in MSWG significantly improved composting process and efficiency. The improvement efficiency was in the order of initial-stage < two-stage < multi-stage inoculations. Inoculation of microbes based on composting organic matter composition and temperature enhanced composting efficiency.     

Phytoavailability and geospeciation of cadmium in contaminated soil remediated by Rhodobacter sphaeroides

A microorganism was isolated from oil field injection water and identified as Rhodobacter sphaeroides. It was used for the remediation of simulated cadmium-contaminated soil. The phytoavailability of Cd was investigated through wheat seedling method to determine the efficiency of remediation. It was found that after remediation, the accumulation of Cd in wheat roots and leaves decreased by 67% and 53%, respectively. The Cd speciation in soil was determined with Tessier extraction procedure. It was found that the total Cd content in soil did not change during the experiments, but the geo-speciation of Cd changed remarkably. Among the five fractions, the concentration of exchangeable phases decreased by 27-46% and that of the phases bound to Fe-Mn oxides increased by 22-44%. The decrease of Cd accumulation in wheat showed significant positive correlation with the decrease of exchangeable phases. It could be concluded that the remediation of R. sphaeroides was carried out through the conversion of Cd to more stable forms. The decrease of sulfate concentration in supernatant indicated that the R. sphaeroides consumed sulfate.     

Photodegradation of quinestrol in waters and the transformation products by UV irradiation

Quinestrol is synthetic estrogen used in contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy and occasionally for treating breast cancer and prostate cancer. It can make its way into the environment through sewage discharge and waste disposal produced by human excretions. In this study, the photodegradation kinetics of quinestrol in various conditions was investigated by UV and solar irradiation. The affecting factors were studied including concentration of hydrogen peroxide, different water types, and the initial concentrations of quinestrol. Concurrently, the transformation products and presumed pathways of quinestrol in distilled water by UV irradiation were identified and proposed. The results showed that the degradation of quinestrol in both irradiation conditions followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. More rapid degradation was observed by UV irradiation (k = 0.018 min⁻¹) than solar irradiation (k = 0.004 h⁻¹), and the photodegradation rate of quinestrol depended on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the initial concentration of quinestrol and water types. The transformation products of quinestrol in distilled water were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. When exposed to UV irradiation, quinestrol in aqueous solution was rapidly degraded, giving at least ten photodegradation products. The chemical structures of ten degradation products were identified on the basis of mass spectrum interpretation and literature data.     

Interaction between BSM-contaminated soils and Italian ryegrass

The interaction among the bensulfuron-methyl, growth of Italian ryegrass, and soil chemical/biochemical/microbiological parameters was investigated in a microcosm experiment. The bensulfuron-methyl added to the soil can be rapidly degraded by certain fungi and actinomycetes present in the original paddy rice soil. The growth of Italian ryegrass significantly accelerated the in-soil degradation of bensulfuron-methyl in its rhizosphere. The uptake of bensulfuron-methyl by ryegrass increased with increasing dosage level of bensulfuron-methyl. However, the phytoextraction of bensulfuron-methyl by ryegrass contributed insignificantly to the total removal of the soil bensulfuron-methyl. Within the dosage range set in this study, the root development of ryegrass was not adversely affected by the presence of the soil bensulfuron-methyl although the fresh biomass of shoot was slightly reduced in the higher dosage treatments. This can be attributed to the adsorption of the added bensulfuron-methyl by soil colloids and consequently the reduction of bensulfuron-methyl level in the soil pore water to a concentration sufficiently lower than the toxic level. The growth of ryegrass significantly increased soil pH and the activities of phosphatase and peroxidase but reduced the EC and the activities of urease in the rhizospheric soil.     

Optimization of photo-Fenton process parameters on carbofuran degradation using central composite design

Carbofuran, one of the most toxic and biorefractory carbamate compounds, is widely used in insecticides in Taiwan (9-18% of total insecticides production per year). In the present study, a central composite design experiment was used to study the effect of photo-Fenton treatment on carbofuran solution and to optimize the process variables such as carbofuran concentration (1-100 mg L(-1)), H(2)O(2) dosage rate (0.25-6 mg L(-1) min(-1)) and Fe(3+) dosage (1-50 mg L(-1)), which influenced the efficiency of carbofuran degradation and mineralization. The results indicated that all the variables investigated in this study had significant roles in the degradation and mineralization of carbofuran in solution. The carbofuran degradation and mineralization efficiencies were increased with increase in H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage, and with decrease in carbofuran concentration. Furthermore, optimum values of both H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage were found to shift to higher values as carbofuran concentration increased. Based on the model obtained in this study, optimum H(2)O(2) dosage rate and Fe(3+) dosage were found to be 4 mg L(-1) min(-1) and 20 mg L(-1), respectively, for 51 mg L(-1) of carbofuran concentration. Under these conditions, carbofuran was completely removed within 30 min and coupled with 78% mineralization at the end of experiment.     

An integrated method for removal of harmful cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic lakes

As the eutrophication of lakes becomes an increasingly widespread phenomenon, cyanobacterial blooms are occurring in many countries. Although some research has been reported, there is currently no good method for bloom removal. We propose here a new two-step integrated approach to resolve this problem. The first step is the inactivation of the cyanobacteria via the addition of H(2)O(2). We found 60 mg/L was the lowest effective dose for a cyanobacterial concentration corresponding to 100 μg/L chlorophyll-a. The second step is the flocculation and sedimentation of the inactivated cyanobacteria. We found the addition of lake sediment clay (2 g/L) plus polymeric ferric sulfate (20 mg/L) effectively deposited them on the lake bottom. Since algaecides and flocculants had been used separately in previous reports, we innovatively combined these two types of reagents to remove blooms from the lake surface and to improve the dissolved oxygen content of lake sediments.     

Identification of cadmium-excluding welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) cultivars and their mechanisms of low cadmium accumulation

Purpose

Screening out cadmium (Cd) excluding cultivars of a crop in agricultural production is an effective way to prohibit Cd entering into food chain.

Methods

A judging criterion for Cd-excluding cultivars based on food safety was suggested and used in the identification of Cd-excluding welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) cultivars. A pot culture experiment was carried out to screen out Cd-excluding cultivars, of which the results were confirmed by plot experiments. The relevant factors of Cd accumulation in the pseudostem were analyzed and used in the correlation analysis aiming to study the low Cd accumulation mechanisms.

Results

The concentration of Cd in the pseudostem of welsh onions was 0.08?C0.20, 0.18?C0.41, and 0.26?C0.61?mg/kg fresh weight (FW) under three treatments (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0?mg/kg), respectively. The significant (p? ₃ ^? ?CN, and eight other elements in the tested welsh onion cultivars. Two cultivars were identified as Cd-excluding cultivars, mainly because the accumulation of Cd in their pseudostem was only 0.041?±?0.003 and 0.046?±?0.002?mg/kg FW, and 0.054?±?0.001 and 0.066?±?0.011?mg/kg FW, when growing in plots with Cd concentration of 0.49 and 0.99?mg/kg, respectively.

Conclusions

Ribentiegancongwang and Wuyeqi could be identified as Cd-excluding cultivars. Low bioaccumulation factor of the roots was the main mechanism of Cd-excluding welsh onion cultivars.